US officials are headed to Russia to discuss a potential ceasefire in Ukraine, according to President Donald Trump. The news comes after Ukrainian officials agreed to a 30-day ceasefire following a highly anticipated meeting with American officials in Saudi Arabia. The Kremlin has said it is studying the ceasefire proposal, and that a phone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin is possible.
The “ball is truly in their court” and the US believes the only way to end the fighting is through peace negotiations, said Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Following the meeting in Jeddah on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky said it was now up to the US to convince Russia to agree to the “positive” proposal.
Trump said he had received “positive messages” about the possibility of a ceasefire but a positive message means nothing, this is a very serious situation.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at the White House that National Security Secretary Mike Waltz spoke to his Russian counterpart. The White House confirmed the plans to send US officials to Russia to negotiate a ceasefire.
We urge the Russians to sign on to this plan, this is the closest we have been to peace in this war, Leavitt said.
The Kremlin has said it is studying the proposed ceasefire and further details, which spokesman Dmitry Peskov said will come “via various channels” over the course of the next several days.
The White House said that Trump believes a ceasefire would make sense for Russia, adding without further details that there is a lot of downside to Russia as well. We know the areas of land we’re talking about, whether it’s pull back or not pull back.
To pressure Russia, Trump said that he “can do things financially, that would be very bad for Russia. I don’t want to do that because I want to get peace.
Fighting has raged in Ukraine, with Russian drones and missiles reportedly striking targets in Kryvyy Rih, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kharkiv. Clashes also continued in Russia’s Kursk region, where Peskov said Russian troops were “successfully advancing” and recapturing areas held by Ukrainian forces.
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